1918 - 1974: after titanic
by SoulfullyInclined
Summary: this is the story of what happens after Titanic. It starts in 1918 and goes to ere are time gaps. Jack and rose's friend's granddaughter Karen meets Max from ATU. Drugs, alcohol. I don't own anyone. *Please Review* *Thank you for reading/reviewing*
1. 1918

***inspired by Bohemian Anne's story 'cruel war'.* and by Jeanita's story 'clouds of despair'***

**1918**

It was 2 wks after the 1st world war ended 1918. 28 yr old jack Dawson got on a flight going from paris to new york. He arrived the next day. It was 14 yrs since the wright brothers first flight which was in 1904. The war had started in 1914 and lasted 4 yrs. The last time he'd seen his wife rose had been in 1912. That summer they got married. In may 2 wks. after the titanic sank rose discovered she was pregnant w/ their daughter Josephine. Rose was now 23. Josephine would be 5.

During the war when he could jack spent some time in paris drawing. His most personal works the ones depicting ptsd he kept private. They were so powerful and dark. And emotional.

On the ship they'd met a little girl named eva and her mother esther. They'd told them there was something wrong w/ the ship. All had survived and all had been hypothermic after and had had to stay in the hospital for awhile. Eva would be 13 now. They'd also wandered from room to room hotel to hotel place to place so roses fiancee wouldn't find them. jack wondered if she'd want to live at his place in Wisconsin. He knew that she also had ptsd. From cal. Jacks friends fabrizio and tommy had died on the ship.

The only thing jack wanted now was a drink and to see his wife and daughter.

Rose didn't know this but jack had kept her necklace all these yrs.

In the past 6 yrs she became an actress. When her ptsd allowed her to. During some performances she wasn't even focusing on what she was doing. And her ptsd. But that's what made them so good.

Cal was 30 in 1912. He'd be 36 now.

During a hospital stay in 1914 he met a 28 yr old nurse by the name of alice. She was lucy harris' daughter. Her mother had been a prostitute in London back in 1886. And knew someone by the name of Edward hyde. One of the guys robert that fought in the war was also 28 their same age. He had ptsd and he often changed moods from one minute to the next. She was his nurse too. His last name was hyde.

during the war he was in france and she was in the states. she recalled one day while working as a nurse when there was mustard gas. the hospital became more crowded than usual w/ the soldiers who quickly became patients. the gas had gotten into their lungs and a lot of them were gasping for air. any part of their body that hadn't been covered bby the gas masks which was everything but their face was attacked by the gas. although rose was hurrying to clean the men to detoxify them she knew a lot wouldn't make it. she wondered if in france the same hing had happened to jack.

it'd been 6 yrs since they'd last seen each other. she knew when and where his ship had docked. when they saw each other they were nervous and excited. they hugged. jack was warm but removed. after the hug and the I love yous and its good to see yous they got to talking.

"are you hungry? thirsty? have you slept?" she asked.

"no. and not terribly well."

"oh."

"dad I made you a sand-" Josephine began looking up at her dad.

"I said not now," he replied annoyed.

"oh. ok."

"jack I know you haven't had it easy but-" rose began.

"haven't had it easy?! oh like youd know anything about that."

"I was trying to survive! trying not to jump. so yeah. I would."

"oh. ok. im sorry."

"hey I get it."

"excuse me," jack said and left.

"what happened to dad?" Josephine asked her mom.

"hes just sad and scared honey. hes been that way for a long time. and hes going to be for a long time," she answered.

"oh. why?"

"its hard to explain to someone your age."

"oh."

jack returned.

"wow its. quiet here," he said as they walked back to the car: "there aren't bombs or gunfire or smoke."

"yeah its weird."

"yeah. I haven't slept well in ages."

"I know neither have I."

"I don't want to make friends again. every friend ive had though theyre not many has died. fabrizio, tommy, max. you almost."

"no I get it."


	2. 1922

**1922**

it was 1922. jack was 32 rose was 27. Josephine was 9. their friend Olivia was also 27. theyd met her on titanic. her daughter sophie was the same age as Josephine. the war had ended 4 yrs. ago. it was 1920 and jack hadn't had any trouble selling his drawings since art was in vogue at the time. rose and Olivia preferred to wear long dresses and boots unlike most of the ladies of the time. people listened to the radio, read and went to the movies. they read fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Virginia woolf and t.s. Elliot and saw movies starring Charlie chaplin and greta garbo. jack and Josephine liked chaplin and rose liked greta garbo.

everyone was celebrating. except for jack.

jack and Olivia were at a speakeasy. she pulled a flask out from her boot and quickly gave it to him.

"thanks," he said quickly drinking it and giving it back to her.

she quickly drank it and put it back in her boot.

"hi what can I get you?" the bartender asked.

jack looked up and into the eyes of.

cal.


	3. 1932

***inspired by Roxy Parkington's story 'cold silver'***

**1932 **

it was 1932. a yr after roses fiancée cal passed. jack was 42 rose was 37 Josephine was 19. They'd moved to jacks place in Wisconsin in 1919. jack was still drinking. hed started during the war and hadn't stopped since. Josephine also drank. as did rose. rose had started before jack had. Jack said he drank to help his ptsd. bc of the depression they didn't have much money and so they took in their friends Olivia and alice who paid rent. they knew alice from being on titanic.

rose went into jacks and her room to talk to him. she sat on the bed. he was drawing as usual. it was either that or drinking lately. he looked up.

"yeah?" he asked.

"um. theres something I wanted to talk to you about. someone actually. its. its cal its about cal," rose said.

"uh ok."

"yeah um. you don't know exactly what happened and what happened as a result. of. him."

"ok go on."

"well while on titanic I was pregnant."

"yeah kindof figured."

"it was his."

"oh."

"and that night the night of the...of the um. event the event. the. sinking. the water was so cold that it killed the baby."

"oh wow."

"yeah. and how I got pregnant was he. hurt me, badly. and it continued. which is why im partially glad hes no longer here."

"oh. oh wow."

"now theres something else you don't know. I have a son out there somewhere hes a few yrs younger than Josephine. I don't know where."

"oh."

"yeah and that's. why I drink."

"oh."

"which reminds me."

rose stood and went into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>1948<strong>

it was 1948 3 yrs since ww2 had ended. jack was 71 rose was 63 Josephine was 45 and her daughter liz was 21.


	4. 1974

**1974**

It was 1974 a yr since the Vietnam war had ended. Jack was 84 rose was 79 as were alice and Robert. Josephine was 65 and elizabeth her daughter was 48. alice and Roberts children Gloria and fred were 54. Their children alice and Roberts grandchildren karen and john were 28.

even though the war had ended the drugs hadn't. coke and pot were everywhere. Karen was wandering the city stoned and happy on her way to a bar when she bumped into someone.

"oh sorry," she said.

" 's ok," he told her: "long as it wasn't my head."

"what?"

"everything below the neck works fine."

"oh."

"but the memories they. they eff w/ your head ya know?"

"yeah. well I mean I don't know from personal experience but my grandmother's friend rose does. only they didn't have our drugs during their time. her husband had the same thing but hed been in the war. um I mean ww1 that war."

"no I know."

"oh. and they survived a shipwreck. type. thingy. so. and my brother has it too. wow I talk a lot. sorry I guess im just coked up. im Karen btw."

"hey max. and I have it too. and I think we all are. and where ya headed?"

"bar."

"oh me too."

they stopped talking and walked quietly to the bar. max felt like a beached whale. hed been feeling that wway for aawhile due to alcohol withdrawl. he felt like he was constantly swimming. sometimes remembering was worse than not remembering which was why he didn't and didn't want to.

he was getting warmer so he pushed his sleeves up completely forgetting about the track marks. Karen noticed but didn't say anything. he saw her noticing.

"oh its um its layla. or sometimes snow," max said trying to be casual.

"layla...like the Clapton song," Karen said quietly.

they both knew exactly what he meant.

"if you want ill be your connection."

"well not for me so much as my brother. when he runs out."

"ok but ill need cash though."

"yeah I can get that. rose comes from money."

"or a good hooker. you got me on my knees layla," max said.

they laughed.

Karen was still looking at his arms. in front of her eyes the marks got bigger and bigger until they formed the bodily fluids of the soldiers whod turned into hospital patients when she was a nurse. she gasped.

"hm?" max asked.

"oh I was a nurse during the war and your marks they..."

"oh," max said getting it.

his eyes went wide and he suddenly stopped.

"oh god," he said.

Karen stopped too.

"whats wrong?" she asked.

"I...I need...her. the white..."

Karen had seen this in her brother several times.

"look we cant just do it out in the open even though its legal. hell sos alcohol but doesn't mean everyone goes around carrying open liquor bottles. this isn't Europe."

"I um."

max made his way to a building and slid down it to the ground.

"here," he said.

"ok we'll stay here."


	5. Chapter 5

1974

Karen helped max to a park where they at down in the hade of tree.

"there. Now we have more privacy," karen aid leaning over him and miling.

"hey ya gotta get off me. I'm really warm and I want to go somewhere," max aid.

Karen leaned back and threw up her hand; "but we jut went somewhere."

"yeah I know."

"and I'm warm too."

He put her hair up.

"I know," he aid leaning over hi lower half.

"what are you…? Oh," he aid getting it.

He unbuckled hi pant and went outh.

"omygod. Damn you have a good mouth," he aid.

He tried to mile but couldn't a her mouth wa occupied.

He licked hi lip.

"whoa….bunny….."

He knew karen would want to know where.

"over there. And it itting. And it giant. Hey when you're done I want to go."


	6. Chapter 6

"happiness, is a warm gun," max muttered when karen was finishing up.

"mmm?" karen managed asking.

"i um. Oh god you're good. I was in the war. And when I was in the hospital that song...and the needle. And the lady in the needle. Er not needle the the thingy."

karen smiled: "no iknow what word you mean. I was a nurse."

"oh. Right that's right. Hey ya know what you should do?"

"mmm get off you," karen said gettinf ogg max.

"well yeah. We should go back to my place where you can meet maggie. She was a prostitute in amsterdam fore she came here."

"um ok."


	7. Chapter 7

When they got to max's place there was a pretty brunette waiting for them.

"i don't have money," karen said: "and you must be maggie."

"oh that's ok. There are. Other ways for you to pay me back," the lady said.

"hey so karen should go first. I've done it all before," max said.

"ok."

karen and maggie went into a bedroom.

"so you're from amsterdam?"karen asked as she undressed.

"from yes. But I was born in ireland moved to amsterdam and then here. And you?"

"i. I was a nurse. During the war. I mean the recent war."

"oh wow."

"yeah."

"that sounds hard."

"yeah it was."

"i know how to make it better. But not perfect," maggie said smiling.


	8. Chapter 8

"you just sit back. And i'll do all the work," maggie told karen.

"wow this is so different from what i'm used to," karen said.

"yeah but you must've worked hard as a nurse. And i' ."

"oh um wow this is weird."

"you're high and this is the weird part?"

she put her hands on karen's torso and moved them upwards.

"oh wow," karen said when maggie got to her chest.

Maggie knew the right places to touch and the right ways to squeeze and how much to squeeze.

"told you I was good. Now put your arms up."

karen did and maggie undressed her. Karen immediately felt less warm.

"thank you," she said relieved.

A part of her wondered if this was even real.


End file.
